Ax Attacker Fatally Shot By Chicago Pot Shop Security Guard, Cops Say

CHICAGO — A security guard at a Greektown cannabis dispensary shot and killed a man who slashed him with an ax on Labor Day, authorities said.

Shortly after 10 a.m., the ax-wielding attacker got into an argument with the 37-year-old guard outside the Zen Leaf dispensary, 222 S. Halsted St., according to Chicago police.

The man with the ax started swinging it at the security guard, cutting him in the leg.

"A struggle ensued and the victim fired shots, striking the offender," police said in a statement.

The guard was taken to Northwestern Hospital and treated for cuts to his left leg. He was listed in good condition.

The man who was shot, whose identity had not been publicly released as of Tuesday morning, was taken to Stroger hospital and pronounced dead.

Representatives of Verano, the Chicago-based company that operates Zen Leaf-branded dispensaries, announced after the shooting Monday the store would be closed for the day.

“This morning outside Zen Leaf on Halsted Street, an individual attacked a contracted third party security guard with a weapon outside the dispensary,” company officials said. “Both individuals were taken to hospitals with serious injuries.”

Potential customers who arrived after police reopened the street were left disappointed, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

According to a nearby resident, the Near West Side neighborhood has changed since the opening of the dispensary, telling WLS-TV there is now "more violence and crowds that make noise, and they are aggressive sometimes."

Detectives are investigating the circumstances of the shooting and attempting to determine a motive for the attacker.

According to Chicago police, there were 11 murders over the three-day weekend, including nine fatal shootings, one fatal stabbing and one vehicular homicide.